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Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D. C.  20554
This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.  Release of the full text of a Commission order
constitutes official action.  See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974).
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
October 16, 2008 Mary Diamond (202) 418-2388
Email: Mary.Diamond@fcc.gov
FCC CHAIRMAN ANNOUNCES SPONSORSHIP OF NASCAR DRIVER DAVID 
GILLILAND CAR #38 FOR DIGITAL TELEVISION OUTREACH 
Charlotte, NC – FCC Chairman Kevin Martin announced that the Federal Communications 
Commission will sponsor the NASCAR No. 38 entry with driver David Gilliland for a total of 
three races in the remaining NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as part of its Digital Television (DTV) 
outreach.  The FCC DTV sponsorship will debut at Martinsville Speedway on October 19th
followed by the races at the Phoenix International Raceway on November 9 and Homestead-
Miami Speedway on November 16.
It is the leading spectator sport in the country. Seventeen of the top 20 highest-attended sporting 
events in the U.S. annually are NASCAR events, with average attendance topping 125,000 per 
event for the 36 point races during the 10 month season. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the 
number-two-rated regular-season sport on television with nearly 8 million viewers tuned in 
weekly, and features 36 races at 22 different tracks across the country.
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said of the primary sponsorship, “NASCAR fans are known for 
their avid interest in this sport. Their awareness and responsiveness to NASCAR sponsors is also 
exceptionally high. I believe this sponsorship is an extremely effective way for the FCC to raise 
DTV awareness among people of all ages and income levels across the United States who loyally
follow one of the most popular sports in America.”
“I’m flattered that the FCC chose our No. 38 Ford to help them convey the message about the 
upcoming digital television transition taking place next year,” commented Gilliland.  “This is a 
very big undertaking to convert the entire country to digital services, but the end result will be 
improved picture and sound quality and those are definitely important factors to NASCAR fans.  
Yates Racing has had a tremendous 2008 season which allowed us to have a variety of important 
partnerships, and our No. 38 Digital TV Transition Ford will be another great example of 
partners who believe in the reach that we have. I am honored to help promote the Digital TV 
Transition messaging.”
The primary sponsorship is to assist in educating the American public about the February 17th, 
2009, transition from analog service to digital television transmission.  On that date, all full-
power broadcast television stations in the United States will cease broadcasting analog airwaves 
and begin broadcasting only in digital. 
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Digital broadcasting will allow stations to offer improved picture and sound quality as well as
add additional channels.  Digital television is a new type of broadcast technology that delivers 
digital signal that is virtually free of interference and is more efficient than current analog signal.  
For more information about the Digital Transition visit www.DTV.gov .
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